Hello from Cancun! Ford and I are spending the weekend in Mexico thanks to a trip we booked last minute, as it’s sometimes nice to get away for a bit. We’re checking out a points hotel I haven’t been to before, which I look forward to reviewing.
On the points & travel front, this week we saw some great new promos on purchased points, an Etihad A380 landing went viral, we learned about the Centurion Lounge Charlotte opening date, Capital One announced they’re opening a lounge at Washington Dulles, and more.
With that out of the way, here’s a recap of this week on the blog:
Featured Stories
Reclining Your Airplane Seat: Right Or Privilege?
Last week we saw a story go viral about a seat recline confrontation that happened on a recent American Eagle flight. I feel like one of these stories going viral is almost a monthly occurrence, and it always blows my mind how it becomes a global story.
Perhaps the reason this always goes so viral is because of how polarizing this topic is. Don’t get me wrong, I have my opinions, but fundamentally my belief is simply “let’s all be considerate to one another and minimize confrontations.” That belief doesn’t seem to be shared by many people.
I imagine these kinds of situations will only get worse as airlines squeeze more seats onto planes, so in this post I wanted to share my in-depth take on seat recline, and also address some of the arguments that I frequently see.
Is The Chase Sapphire Reserve Still Worth It? (2020)
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review) was introduced nearly four years ago, in the summer of 2016. It quickly became one of the most popular premium credit cards, and demand greatly exceeded what anyone was likely expecting.
However, the credit card landscape has no doubt evolved over the past several of years, as we’ve seen the major credit card issuers racing to outdo one another. Not only that, but some changes were recently made to the Sapphire Reserve, as the card’s annual fee was increased, while a few limited-time benefits were added as well.
When the Sapphire Reserve was introduced just about everyone agreed it was worth it. In this post, I wanted to take an updated look at this card, and really crunch the numbers as to whether this card still makes sense, or whether you should consider another card instead.
AWFUL: Connecting In Manila On Philippine Airlines
When I wrote about the Philippine Airlines ticket that I booked, many readers warned me that the connection experience at Manila Airport is the worst in the world. I don’t want to say that that I dismissed what people were saying, but I figured they hadn’t been to as many awful airports as I’ve been to.
After all, I’ve gotten to the point where I almost enjoy transiting Cairo Airport, in a masochistic way.
Well, folks, we may not have a fancy award show filled to the brim with D-list celebrities, but I’m ready to give a first ever OMAAT award…
TIPS: Earning Miles & Promos
Buy Iberia Avios With A 50% Bonus (1.3 Cents Each)
Free Cash With SoFi Money Referral Program (2020)
Save On Blacklane With Amex Offers
Is The Chase Sapphire Reserve Still Worth It? (2020)
Buy Hilton Honors Points For 0.5 Cents Each (Last Chance)
8 Reasons To Get The Alaska Airlines Business Card
The Six Fantastic No Annual Fee Credit Cards I Have
Buy Marriott Bonvoy Points With 50% Bonus
Buy United Miles With Up To An 85% Bonus
IHG Premier Card Best-Ever 140K Bonus Still Available
Top Hotel Credit Cards Offering Free Nights (2020)
Comparison: Hilton Surpass Vs. Hilton Business Card
Top Hotel Credit Cards Offering Elite Status (2020)
Hilton Surpass Weekend Night Reward: Worth It?
8 Great Opportunities To Buy Points
TRICKS: Redeeming Miles
Amazing Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Award Sale
WOW: North Island Bookable For 365,000 Marriott Points Per Night
Saving Points With Marriott’s Dynamic Award Pricing
TRAVEL With Ben (Lucky)
Conclusion To My Marriott Upgrade Denial & Room Invasion
How To Access United Clubs
Reclining Your Airplane Seat: Right Or Privilege?
My Hotel Status Strategy For 2020
The Sassiest American Airlines Flight Attendant Ever
Cancun Airport: Where Immigration Takes Longer Than The Flight
REVIEWS & Trip Reports
Review: China Airlines Lounge Taipei Airport Terminal 1
Review: Plaza Premium Lounge Taipei Airport
Review: Philippine Airlines A321 Business Class
AWFUL: Connecting In Manila On Philippine Airlines
Review: PAGSS Lounge Manila Airport
Review: Philippine Airlines A350 Business Class
NEWS & Updates
How British Airways Increased Capacity Of Planes Overnight
Ouch: Etihad Criticizes A380 Pilots For Viral Crosswind Landing
Bamboo Airways To Order Boeing 777X?!?
British Airways 787-10 Details: Cabins, Routes, And More
American Selling Flagship First Dining Access (Price Reduced)
World of Hyatt Extending Status For Those In Asia
Qatar Airways Increases IAG Stake To 25.1%
Coming Soon: American Eagle First Class Meal Pre-Orders
Is The End Near For Hainan Airlines?
Capital One Opening Lounge At Washington Dulles Airport
American Flying 777s From JFK To LAX (& More)
Uber’s New Tattletale Feature: A Necessary Evil?
Virgin Atlantic Cuts Chauffeur Service
Marriott Bonvoy Extending Status For Those In Greater China
When The Next 5 Amex Centurion Lounges Open
Amex Centurion Lounge Charlotte: Opening Soon
United Airlines Increases Checked Bag Fees (Again)
Hong Kong Airlines Cuts All Inflight Service, Except Water
Freddie Awards Voting: Everything You Need To Know
I hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend!
Still no MEA/Beirut trip report? It's ok to post it Lucky, nobody will judge you for posting it a bit late.
Enjoy the Andaz. We enjoyed a week there a few weeks back. By the way - we waited less than 5min to get through immigration (international terminal). Perhaps the slow immigration is special for US arrivals.
Thought I’d see the comments made by Ryanair’s CEO in this roundup.
Sometimes it’s nice getting away for a bit... coming from a travel blogger. Just LoL
Enjoy the Andaz. We had a great week last year- thanks to Ford helping us with the booking. The staff were amazing with our toddler and baby.
How did you get a Hyatt 'point hotel' with a confirmed suite upgrade cert (as described in your other post?)
Deets please!
Uggh, Well, so much for my secret points getaway spot...Andaz. It's usually wide open for me but now you will tell everyone!
Just joking, of course. Came back from there on Thursday and it was surprisingly the most booked I have ever seen over the past few years I have been going. People are, unfortunately, learning about it.
It's a well run property. Enjoy.